About the show

In 'Wink,' a homeless and traumatized gender-questioning teenager, and Dario Villanova, a former A-list actor doing B movies, are down on their luck in Los Angeles. Kindred spirits, they bond over music and a death in Dario’s extended family, and forge a heartfelt and unconventional relationship as surrogate father and child.

"Thanks to the acting talents of Maruzzo and De Jesus, and the organic direction by Ron Beverly, the audience never questions for a minute that we are witnessing a pair of truly lost souls that found each other...As the fiercely independent youth at the center of it all, Joshua De Jesus is a revelation...The play is unafraid to explore the hard reality of LGBTQA homeless youth— yet it succeeds in incorporating many life-affirming, lighthearted moments of hope and humor throughout."
Full Review

"A decidedly confusing theatrical experience, mitigated somewhat by touching performances...Maruzzo and De Jesus manage to breathe some life into their characters, transcending a story line that could easily fall into the realm of a mawkish TV movie...The audience is left to ponder what it is that the playwright and director Ron Beverly had in mind with this effort to mix a sincere and heartfelt story of an unconventional relationship with over-the-top, darkly cartoonish satire."
Full Review

"This production threads between the sublime and cliche too often to reach the levels it could...Wink is an amazing character, one of the most poignant ones I’ve seen this year. But this modern feel, this urgency is contrasted by the stylization of the play itself, which feels outdated...There’s no sense of innovation beyond the character. It’s like they knew the character was good enough to hold our attention, so they didn’t try to create a meaningful theatrical experience."
Full Review

"While the characters and plot teem with potential, the pacing of the play, combined with minimal character development, stifles the storytelling. The world of the play is realistic and the narrative linear, but the conflict of the piece is more confusing than harrowing. However, the conversation had by characters within the play is one worth illuminating and continuing."
Full Review

“A perplexing and deeply problematic play…The play’s insipid and exposition-heavy dialogue, which creates scenes that build to anti-climax after anti-climax, proved incredibly distracting. Four of the five performances are hidden behind constant gestures…The playwright relentlessly pushes his bigotry so far over the line that I began to shut down...There is one saving grace: De Jesus as Wink...His youthful honesty injects the play with the heartfelt truth the play desperately wants to project.”
Full Review

See it if
you are fan of Hollywood fiction and enjoy watching shows about human connection

Don't see it if
you are overtly critical of new work or uncomfortable with transgender issues.

Also
The acting was great, smart staging. My only complaint was at a pivotal moment in the show where they could have made a difference and really spoken out about how people are affected by sexual assault, they chose to take the cliche and easy route.... Read moreRead less

See it if
interested in topics of the LGBT community especially younger members who are genger questioning and/or homeless. Like relevant drama.

Don't see it if
U are uncomfortable with LGBT issues. U are not into profound drama plays & only want lighthearted entertainment.

Also
Play highlights the growing # of gender questioning LGBT youths in identity crisis seeking gender liberation without labels. It also focuses on homeless youths in this community who need care & support from non-profit social programs as well as compassionate friends.

All the above are brought out by the eponymous Wink who is the subject of the play when he encounters a famous actor with a painful secret that needs redemption. They formed a soulmate connection via a common love for doo-wop music (good music!)Actor decides to do something phenomenal for Wink but must contend with relationship questions by a program counselor, resistance from his self serving homophobic agent, & trusting a female press rep. to announce his big plan.